The book of Revelation continues to hold a fascination for people from all walks of life. Even some who don't believe the message of the book write whole books about the fascination believers have with the prophecies and images portrayed in the last book of the Bible. And those who do believe in its message turn out more books with new theories to decode its intricate prophecies.

A few months ago in this space I reviewed a book called A History of the End of the World. The book chronicles the many fabulous ideas and interpretations of Revelation by armchair prophets. I showed that the world will not end as the doomsayers predict. Human life is not going to evaporate in a nuclear Armageddon. Last week I walked through my local bookstore and saw yet another new title promising the "code" to unlock the book.

I think if more people sat down with their Bibles and began reading Revelation, they would come up with more basic understanding than they would with all these "helps" provided by authors who want to make a profit from their ideas. Solomon's words are ever truer today: "Of making many books there is no end" (Ecclesiastes 12:12).

Revelation does have a message for us today, and you can understand what it is! Our world is approaching one of those crossroads of history where we are about to see massive changes in the existing power relationships that have shaped our world. America, the present world colossus, is being challenged by nations that want their time at the center of the world stage. China is moving relentlessly to counter American influence wherever it can. At the same time, China finances a huge portion of America's massive trade deficit. The dollar has weakened and could be replaced as the leading world currency, possibly by the euro. If that happens, America will see prices rise dramatically, with a reduction in its standard of living. The time of the dominance of the English-speaking peoples is coming to a close. Other nations are striving to lead the world, and Revelation has specific things to say about this.

Should you take the words of Revelation seriously? Yes. Its opening words declare it to be the genuine revelation of Jesus Christ to His Church then and today. Christ has a direct message from God's throne showing what will happen at the close of this age, the biblical "time of the end," and the dawning of the world to come.

Read His closing words: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in the book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19).

If you believe in God, then Revelation is a book you want to take seriously. Even if you have a casual belief in God and the Bible, you may want to look at today's world to see there are some pretty scary things on the horizon. There is a rising tide of religious influence in world affairs. Nations are gravitating toward new geopolitical alignments. At the same time a power vacuum seems to be developing among world leaders. With more nations developing nuclear abilities, the threat of nuclear war is as great as it ever has been.

Something is happening to the world's climate. There are abrupt shifts in weather patterns leading to drought in many places. The severity of earthquakes and hurricanes in recent years serve to awaken us to the power of nature running outside its normal boundaries. And the book of Revelation has something to say about all these and other world trends. Now more than ever you need to understand Christ's message from this book of prophecy. If you have not read our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled, please do so. You can find it and other resources online at www.wnponline.org. WNP